1 South Carolina General Assembly 2 122nd Session, 2017-2018 3 4 H. 4579 5 6 STATUS INFORMATION 7 8 House Resolution 9 Sponsors: Reps. Parks, King, Howard, Gagnon, McCravy, Pitts, Alexander, Allison, Anderson, Anthony, 10 Arrington, Atkinson, Atwater, Bales, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bedingfield, Bennett, Bernstein, 11 Blackwell, Bowers, Bradley, Brawley, Brown, Bryant, Burns, Caskey, Chumley, Clary, Clemmons, 12 Clyburn, CobbHunter, Cogswell, Cole, Collins, Crawford, Crosby, Daning, Davis, Delleney, Dillard, 13 Douglas, Duckworth, Elliott, Erickson, Felder, Finlay, Forrest, Forrester, Fry, Funderburk, Gilliard, 14 Govan, Hamilton, Hardee, Hart, Hayes, Henderson, HendersonMyers, Henegan, Herbkersman, Hewitt, 15 Hill, Hiott, Hixon, Hosey, Huggins, Jefferson, Johnson, Jordan, Kirby, Knight, Loftis, Long, Lowe, 16 Lucas, Mack, Magnuson, Martin, McCoy, McEachern, McGinnis, McKnight, D.C. Moss, V.S. Moss, 17 Murphy, B. Newton, W. Newton, Norrell, Ott, Pendarvis, Pope, Putnam, Ridgeway, M. Rivers, S. Rivers, 18 RobinsonSimpson, Rutherford, Sandifer, Simrill, G.M. Smith, G.R. Smith, J.E. Smith, Sottile, Spires, 19 Stavrinakis, Stringer, Tallon, Taylor, Thayer, Thigpen, Toole, Weeks, West, Wheeler, White, Whitmire, 20 Williams, Willis, Young and Yow 21 Document Path: l:\council\bills\rt\17226sa18.docx 22 23 Introduced in the House on January 10, 2018 24 Adopted by the House on January 10, 2018 25 26 Summary: Jennings Gary McAbee, Sr. 27 28 29 HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS 30 31 Date Body Action Description with journal page number 32 1/10/2018 House Introduced and adopted ( House Journalpage 47) 33 34 View the latest legislative information at the website 35 36 37 VERSIONS OF THIS BILL 38 39 1/10/2018 40 1/17/2018 41 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A HOUSE RESOLUTION 10 11 TO REMEMBER AND CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF JENNINGS 12 GARY MCABEE, SR., OF MCCORMICK COUNTY, AND TO 13 EXTEND THEIR DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HIS LOVING 14 FAMILY AND MANY FRIENDS. 15 16 Whereas, the members of the House of Representatives of the 17 State of South Carolina find it altogether fitting and proper to 18 pause in their deliberations to honor the life and many 19 accomplishments of Jennings Gary McAbee, Sr., of McCormick 20 County; and 21 22 Whereas, born on October 5, 1944, in McCormick, South Carolina, 23 Jennings was the son of the late Thomas Russell and Cornelia 24 Dorn McAbee, also of McCormick. Jennings, having passed on 25 December 17, 2017, will be remembered for his kindness to others 26 and his service to the community and the State of South Carolina; 27 and 28 29 Whereas, Jennings attended McCormick High School, where he 30 played football and basketball. He was a 1967 graduate of 31 Wofford College. There he studied business and economics and 32 was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. After 33 college, Jennings returned to McCormick to join the family 34 business of M.G. and J.J. Dorn, Inc. He then became a general 35 contractor and owner of McAbee Building Supply in McCormick. 36 Later, he was owner and president of Savannah Valley Cable 37 Company; and 38 39 Whereas, in the early 1970s, Jennings began his life of service to 40 the State, serving first as county magistrate from 1970 to 1972, and 41 then as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, 42 representing District #12 from 1975 to 1998. His many years of

[4579] 2 1 service included vice chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on 2 Tourism and Trade; South Carolina Parks, Recreation, and 3 Tourism Commission executive committee; the influential Ways 4 and Means Committee, including first vice chairman and floor 5 leader of the budget for many years; Joint Bond Review 6 Committee; Operations and Management Committee; House 7 Education Committee; and House Agriculture and Natural 8 Resources Committee. He was a respected and admired member 9 of the General Assembly. Among his noteworthy accomplishments 10 was his role in the formation of the Joint Tourism Caucus, for 11 which the Southeast Tourism Society named him “Outstanding 12 Tourism Legislator of the Year;” and 13 14 Whereas, for these tireless efforts to create a better world for those 15 in his district and his State, Jennings was honored by numerous 16 civic and state organizations. He cared deeply for those living with 17 mental illness. He fought for agencies that protected the state’s 18 natural resources and believed in the value of the tourism industry. 19 He was known to be a guardian of the rural areas of the State. In 20 the late 1980s, Jennings championed legislation that helped create 21 Savannah Lakes Village, and he worked to bring jobs to 22 McCormick, including the state prison. In 1990, he was awarded 23 the President’s Award from Clemson University; and 24 25 Whereas, Jennings contributed to his community as a Master 26 Mason, a 32nd Degree Mason, a Shriner, a member of the Exchange 27 Club, American Legion, Moose Lodge, Jaycees, and Lions Club. 28 He was a former chairman of the Cancer Society and of the Boy 29 Scout Fund. He also served as McCormick County Economic 30 Development Director from 19981999; and 31 32 Whereas, a lifelong member of McCormick First Baptist Church, 33 Jennings was committed to bettering the lives of those around him. 34 His credo was, “There is no limit to what can be done if it doesn’t 35 matter who gets the credit;” and 36 37 Whereas, Jennings made an impactful mark on those around him 38 and leaves many behind who will forever cherish his memory. He 39 is survived by his beloved sons Jennings Gary McAbee, Jr., 40 (Mamie S. McAbee) and Charles Wesley McAbee (fiancée Jessica 41 Ellis), both of McCormick; two precious grandchildren Mattison 42 Townes “Mattie” and Jace Alexander McAbee; the mother of his 43 children Patricia Townes Herring McAbee, and many other loved

[4579] 3 1 ones, including his fiancée, Betty Carol McKinney. Now, 2 therefore, 3 4 Be it resolved by the House of Representatives: 5 6 That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, 7 by this resolution, remember and celebrate the life of Jennings 8 Gary McAbee, Sr., of McCormick County, and extend their 9 deepest sympathy to his loving family and many friends. 10 11 Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to 12 the family of Jennings Gary McAbee, Sr. 13 XX 14

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